THE BATTLE OVER FAITH

First Week in the Time of Galilee

On this Sunday, three of our Pastoras with a delegation from the church are in Iowa where they have been given a chance to question all of the Democratic Presidential candidates on their support for our Right to Family Campaign. We can also announce today that we have an actual bill that will be heard in the House of Representatives, a bill to protect the parents of the six million U.S. citizen children and the two million dreamers from deportation.

This campaign is based on faith – not on money or politics. Indeed, so many of our families, facing deportation and separation, have to rely on their faith just to continue fighting their own cases.

There are so many people today – young people – who find themselves in depression and constant states of anxiety. Suicides are everywhere. The forgetfulness of drugs or the adrenalin of violence dominate the lives of others. These are symptoms of the loss of faith, of the weakness of faith.

So today, we want to address some important questions about that faith. First, is the faith of our community under attack?; Second, what are the consequences of that attack on our faith?; and Third, how do we fight back and restore our faith? As always, we look to the scripture for guidance.

This morning, we read about John’s Baptism. John called on the people to confess their sins and to be baptized so that they could have a fresh start. At the same time, he attacked the church of his day, the priests and the government officials, as hypocrites – as vipers and snakes: indicting the hypocrisy of the church and freeing the people of that hypocritical oppression. You see the church of that day did not give them the chance for a fresh start - like John did. That church, the temple and its priests, were an instrument of repression and control for the Roman Empire and a cesspool of corruption among the priests and lawyers. In other words, the church in John’s days was attacking the faith of the people at a time when they really needed their faith to survive! The church had become a “faith killer”.

Some churches today are also “faith killers”.

Some churches are heavy with rules and symbols but lack spirituality. They are cowardly when it come to defending the people against the government injustice and they are also corrupt. It is no wonder that young people are falling away from a church where literally thousands of priests are engaged in molesting young boys and girls!

           These churches are not only weak on the struggle for justice, they offer little support for the needs of the people. When you come to one of those churches for held, they do nothing.

           Some churches are really just “entertainment” churches. They quote from the Bible but ignore the scriptures when it comes to struggle. They have a good program of music and they tell you that everything is alright, that you are saved – but everything is not alright and you know it.

           Then there are churches in which demons have taken over. They call themselves Christians but they don’t follow the teachings of Christ in defending the immigrant and the poor. Instead, they tell the people to vote for Donald Trump and say that “He is God’s choice”. Without the support of the white evangelicals, Trump, with his racism and hatred, would not be president!

           John’s baptism calls on us today to call out the hypocrisy and corruption of our churches today – and to offer the people a way to experience the forgiveness of God and a way to stand up for justice. Then John went further. He said, “I baptize you with water, but one is coming who will baptize you with fire!”

           He was talking about Jesus and when Jesus came John baptized him but also called on the people to see what Jesus was bringing. Jesus described his baptism later in the Gospels. It was not simply a one-time baptism of water. No, the baptism of Jesus was his ministry, his confrontation with both the temple and the Romans, his crucifixion – and his resurrection!

           Jesus came to plant the seed of a new church which would restore the faith of the people. It would be a church for the diaspora because the people would soon be driven from their land and dispersed to different parts of the Roman empire. It would be a church of communities – not a church of buildings – and those communities would defend people and help people as well as bringing them the Spirit.

           After Jesus was baptized, he went into the desert to purify himself for the work he was to do. He needed to be strong enough to confront the temptations of wealth and status and false religion in himself so he could confront these things in his ministry. Then he announced his ministry in the temple, reminding people of the teachings of the Prophet Isaiah:

           “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

           I know that most people come to our church because they need this church: to keep them strong in their faith and to support them in their struggle. Their faith and their families are being attacked and they need a community that is organized to defend both their faith and their survival. That is as it should be and as a church, we try our best to meet those needs.

           But we will follow along with the scriptures that tell the story of the ministry of Jesus because we have a mission this year. Jesus came to unleash the Spirit of Truth and his journey in ancient times shows us the way to unleash that Spirit of Truth today.

           What we are saying is that this is the year we are called to discover the true church of Jesus Christ. Our people need this church because our faith is under attack, because we need our faith to survive. Each of us here is called to become a disciple, building this church through our example, building it by reaching out to others every week to bring them in.

The church that makes us a family of families makes us a people of God because it is through family that God organizes her people. The church that makes a family of families defends us when we are under attack and defends and restores our faith. Like John’s Baptism, it is an act of resistance against hypocrisy. Like the Baptism of Jesus, it restores our faith and gives us strength together in the struggle for justice.

Yes, this year there is a political battle in this nation. And yes, this year each of us face our own battles. What we are saying today is that there is everywhere a battle for the faith – a battle for the church of Jesus Christ!

Of course, we are not alone in the movement to raise up this church of resistance and restoration this year. Yes, there are communities of faith like ours in many places – but that is not what I am talking about.

Close your eyes. In your mind, put your feet in the river where John baptized Jesus. See with John and the people there the heavens open up. Hear the voice of God and see the dove that landed on the shoulder of Jesus. Let that dove land on your shoulder. Let the Spirit of Truth come from the heavens and enter all those whose feet were in the river that day. Let it enter you. Let it enter all those assembled here.

We are not alone because we are not searching for the Spirit – the Spirit is searching for us! The Spirit of Truth is looking for a way to enter into our world through your heart – to expose the corruption, to drive out the demons, to reveal itself so that the faith of God’s people will grow strong.

Your hearts are the way the Spirit will be released into the world – the way it will bring justice, the way it will bring love, the way it will clear away the garbage of hypocrisy and lies – but your hearts must be joined together!

Today, at the table of the bread and the wine, at the table of the baptism of Jesus, join your hearts together, receive the sign of the cross made in the water of the Spirit of Truth, hear John calling you; hear Jesus calling you; The Spirit is upon us. The Spirit is among us! Let it loose in the World!

The Holy Scriptures for the First Week in the Time of Galilee

 L. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

P. Saying, I baptize you with[water for repentance...

L. …But after me comes one who is more powerful than I,

P. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 Luke 3:18-22 Jesus is Baptized By John

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…..When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 4: 1-13 Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone. The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Jesus answered, It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test. When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4” 14-21  Jesus returns to Galilee

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.  He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”